Seph was nervous. He hadn't seen her since the night they got engaged. He had been hard at work building their home and sculpting her heart. She had left town to visit family, but tonight she would be home, and he would welcome her back. The box, her heart, was wrapped and ready to be presented. He was nervous, but more than that, he was excited.
The last four months had somehow, simultaneously, passed in the blink of an eye and crawled like a snail, but here he was now, waiting to see her walk around that corner. Any moment now, they would be together again.
There she was! She was glowing! What a magnificently beautiful creature!
Seph rushed to her, embracing her. He was so caught up in his rapturous joy at seeing her that he didn't notice the half smile on her lips or the single tear that gathered at the corner of her eye. He didn't even notice the limp embrace that she returned, almost as if she was trying to keep him at arm's length. He felt it, though, the unmistakable enlargement in her abdomen.
He took a step back as his face fell. He stared into her, now, tear-filled eyes, disbelief, pain and betrayal filling his.
"Seph," she whispered. "We need to talk."
"No…" he breathed. "It can't be."
Part 12: An Anthem...
Part 14: The End...